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A survey reveals that despite enforced business closures, challenging restrictions and loss of revenue, 51% of Irish SMEs are feeling optimistic about the future of their business. The Future of Business Survey, run by Facebook in collaboration with the World Bank and the OECD, surveyed 30,000 SMEs on the social media giant across 50 countries…

Chambers Ireland has called on the Government to extend the wage subsidy scheme for some sectors and introduce a 12 month waiver on commercial rates in the July Stimulus, which is due to be published next week.  The organisation represents 40 Chambers and more than 8,000 businesses around the country. It said the package of supports…

Profits at Irish private sector firms are expected to come under pressure in the next 12 months, according to the latest AIB business activity report. The profit outlook among the firms surveyed by AIB is at its lowest since October 2010. It comes despite falling costs, particularly workforce related costs, as companies availed of the…

The Government has given the go-ahead for the publication of proposed legislation that will, if enacted, establish the new credit guarantee scheme to help businesses impacted by the Covid-19 crisis. The scheme, first announced two-and-a-half months ago, will see up to €2bn in low cost loans made available to struggling firms, with 80% of the…

93% of Irish employees surveyed by recruiter Robert Walters said they would like more opportunities to work from home when normal working patterns resume. Around one in ten said they would like to work from home permanently.  The recruitment company gauged the opinions of management and staff in over 2,200 companies worldwide for this survey. …

Euro zone banks maintained relatively easy access to credit for firms in the second quarter with the backing of government guarantees, but they will likely tighten credit standards in the following three months, the European Central Bank said today.  With a pandemic-induced crisis shutting much of the euro zone economy, firms rushed to tap bank…

Over 80% of Irish employees want to continue to spend at least part of their week working from home when normal life resumes after the coronavirus pandemic, a survey shows.  Like much of Europe, most workers here were forced to work from home when the economy went into lockdown in March. The Government’s advice remains…

The Irish League of Credit Unions is calling on the Government to make changes that would allow the sector to finance social housing and a National Retrofitting Plan for up to half a million older homes. It is among a number of proposals being put forward by the league, which represents 226 member credit unions across the…

The group representing Irish accountancy bodies has called on the Government to spread the taxation burden for recipients of the pandemic wage subsidy schemes over a four year period. Workers are liable for tax on the income they have received via the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS). But the liability will not arise until the end…

There was a near 11% reduction in the volume of goods passing through Dublin Port in the first six months of this year, according to figures from the Dublin Port Company. Overall port tonnage was 10.9% lower than in the same six month period last year. A first quarter decline of almost 5% – which…